Apparatus for carbureting air



Dec. 18', 1934. R. T. HAPGOOD 1,935,165 I APPARATUS FOR CARBURETING AIR Filed APIil'lO, 1935 Patented Dec. 18,1934 1 H 98 1 's I, APPARATUS'AFQRVJCARBURETINGYAIR j Roswell T. Hapgood, Charleston, Va. Application sp riljio, 1933, Serial No, (555,440 a m (01;,261123),

A common practice for. enriching or carbureting These objectionstare avoidedrb'y the'present inair, ,rinmost gas.;machines,--isvtosimply have a vehti'on', by"confining a limited portionuofa the, pipe withsmall-perforationsinthe same resting carburetant inthe large tank, in a cylinder or entire bottomofl a-tank andallowing'the air t'o other receptacleinw-hich alr'plurality, offscreens 5; bubble up through the body of the carburetant. orlforaminousbafiies',i in vertical-seriesyare locate 5 The-two:carburetants-inrmostgeneralluse are gas- 6., a through which Screens f ramin u machine gasoline'having a specific gravity-oi bafiles air, in fi'nely dividedlstreams passes, up. 86 B.-,and-commercial pentane;having a specific Ward. sothat the air streams,'orj'particles are. at' gravityof 93 Be; Agnumberofldimcultie ar all 'timesininthnate contact withithecarburetant' l0; encountered" by; this: method of; carbureting. a ih 1 H'l letedagesof a'uniforrn'charl0 Firstly-,the air bubbles coming up through the m r, is p oducediandfreezing of fwateriof'jcone carburetant agitate the whole quantity oi card 9 d n eque t st piiage'oritheaii as; buretant in the tank, Of 'courselthe carburetants sase a no 'q ur' are-composedofra numbenof hydrocarbonshaving h a y tdj awiffs, Fig-l isaivers different degrees of volatility. The result of this tical seotionnof, afc'a buie FStOrage t hklem methodis" that the more. volatile hydrocarbons b dyingtheD ES mT O i: g-2 S a detai aresblown out first, producing a gasr-oI- ip1; hyplan View, and Fig! 3 a detailsection' of 'oneof drocarboncontent, As the process continuesthe t S 'C S F g- :2 i D lli l d- F g.- more. volatile constituents are removed, ith-th 5'fa 'dtajiilisectionoian airdistribiitergfl 201 result that the remaining carburetant is-less, vol.-' Referring l i f d notesialcare' 2 atile; consequently the air picks up less hydrol fifl Sto age tank, which may be f' iie 'hmi carbon vapor and isthinner; or leanen; At the dledl gallons or fany other des ap y-1' The. end of'a period of time the tankis frequently tank 12 is providedjat the center mawith found; to: contain nothing; but the 'non'evolatfle anfunward.tubularoextension 13' c1osed"at".'its' top, heavy; parts, of the? carburetant, 'I?hisfeature by e e wfcap 14;."said extension being soldered 2 5, mayappear either-after one or more fillingsgof QI' 'Otherwisefixed f D 9 The p. of h t' 'nk the tank, depending-*of'course; on thequality of is'also proyided'with a fixed'fillins 'sp0ut'15.- and carburetant used. I a fi d eJ ou let 16. r J l Anothenobjectionto the bubme t gas CentrallyT'arrangedwithin the tahkpl'Zis a car 3Q chine is that the air enteringi the tankgthrough buretingjpipeor cylinder 1"7 restingon. the bot: 3,0 the small perforations 1 in the; pipe, promotes; intomfoiIthe tankl Land1extendin'g upward nearly tense evaporation at the small perforations. to the top of the extension lawithin which it has This evaporation produces, when a carburetant a cl'o'sf fit "Thispipeoor cylinder-lfl'is constructr such as; pentanexis usedgi 'airef-rigerating' effect d, near its lower end, withopeni'ngs 18 for the 3,5, s fli i ntt scauseany moisture in the air to :preentrance of the carburetant, and is also provided cipitatelfirst as water, andif thegas machine-is atits-upper part, above'the level of theca'rbuused continuously for a; sufilcienttime the re; retant, with openings 1 9- for the je'scape of gas. frigerating-efiect accumulates to such-anextent The lower. end .ofgthe saidpipe or cylinderis pref that the'moisture freezes at the perforations, with erablyiiserratedflor prov ded w p nings. 0" 01 40 the result that they arezentirely closed; 130 overthe f escape into the tank of any water of condene ill come this trouble,,it,has been found that dumpsation which may mm withiiisaidj pipe or cyh ing a considerable amount of water in thestorindert Owing tot-the fact that carburetants do agetank' will so distribute the refrigerating effect notn ixwith water itlis necessary to have both'the that the perforationsdonot freezeshut. 1 ItZ'may openings 18' and the 's'rratedl'edge' in order that also be 'thatastheperforated pipe is submerged the levels of water and-Tcarburetant in the tank "l5v intherwaterthus added, the evaporation of the or cylinder,may be equalized. If there 'wereyno carburetant takes place inthe carburetant sevopenings-18Jandmoisture from the air condensed era]; inches above theperforated. pipe, thereby enough to form water. whichv would st'andjatYa overcoming the intense accumulation oi -cold-at level in the bottom of. the tank higher thanithe thepertorationsz However when the perforated serratedtenmgs; only water would'enterL-the pipes are under water the air passes in largebubcylinder. 17',X thereby, preventingqthe hr bles through the carburetant with the result that of "the 'air'. a much leaner enrichment is obtained than when Closely fitting near its top in a centralopening the air and carburetant are intimately mixed in in the cap 14 is an air inlet pipe 21 the upper end a finely divided state. a of which extends above said cap and the lower 55 end of which is provided with an air outlet T 22. Resting on the T 22 is an air distributer consisting of a ring 23 and a disk 24 provided with inletopenings 25. Above the air distributor are a plurality of foraminous baifles or screens each of which consists preferably of a ring 27 and a fine mesh wire disk or diaphragm 28. To support the central parts of the wire mesh disks or diaphragms 28 spacing sleeves 29 are fitted on the pipe 21 between said wire mesh disks or diaphragms. Above the topmost sleeve 29 a collar 30, fixed to the pipe 21 by a set screw 31, is preferably provided. In the drawing eight of these superposed wire mesh bafiies or screens are shown, and for the successful use of this apparatus not less than four or five of these baffles or screens will preferably be provided. I

In the operation of this improved carbureting apparatus air under pressure passing down through the pipe 21.is discharged at the T 22 and passes upward through theperforated air distributer and thence through the screens "or foraminous bafiles immersed in the carburetant inthe pipe orcylinder 21. The wire mesh screens or foraminous baflies cause the air to be intimately mixed with the carburetantconfined in said cylinderso that a rich uniform gas will at all times be formed and be discharged from the tank 12 and led to any desired gas burning appliances.

The only places that the carburetant can enter the cylinder. l 'l areeithei at theholes 18 or serrations 20 near or at the bottom of the cylinder. No carburetant will flow out of the cylinder into the tank, as the fluid level will be; of course, equal throughout. As the incoming air is enriched by the'carburetant, and is converted to vapor and carried on with the air, the volume of thecarburetant in the "cylinder would be reduced except for the quantity being maintained constant by the carburetant entering at the bottom. In this way the'content of the cylinder is consumed without affecting the remainder of the carburetant in the tank. Consequently the gasis uniform from the start to the end of the consumption of the carburetant charged into'the tank. Any less volatile hydrocarbons in the carburetant are evaporated continuously in small proportions instead of being left at the end of the charge.

In this carburetor there are no small perforations "to freeze'shut. Should any moisture condense in the air inlet pipe it can drain downward and drop into the bottom of the tank where there is no refrigerating effect to cause it to become ice.

The effect of confining the carburetant being used to enrich the air, to within the cylinder, could ofjcourse be obtained by partitioning off a small sector of the tank itself. However, the cylinder as shown being completely surrounded by liquid in the tank, promotesthe dissipation of any cooling effect within the cylinder due to evaporation of the carburetant within it, more effectively than if a sector of the tank were partitioned off to duplicate the effect of the cylinder.

The'diameter of the cylinder and the number of bafiles used are entirely optional and depend on the amount of air per hour which it may be desired to pass through the carburetant.

.The advantageous and novel features of this carburetor are:

' 1. It contains no parts that permit the accumulation of water.

2. It has no small perforations for admitting air into the carburetant and which might freeze shut.

3. The cylinder permits the enrichment of the air without agitating the liquid outside of the cylinder and within the tank.

4. The carburetor uses up the carburetant by consuming completely small quantities at a time in the cylinder, instead of using up the lightest or most volatile fraction first and finally having the heaviest and least volatile portion remaining at the last. r

5. The carbureted air is uniform in hydrocarbonenrichment throughout the time of consuming the wholequantity of carburetant charged into the tank.

6. The horizontal screens, being placed one above the other, successively break up the streams of ascending air in passing through them thereby promoting a maximum of enrichment.

Having thus described my invention I claim desire to secure by Letters Patenta 1. A carbureting apparatus'comprising astor age tank having a central upward extension provided at its top with a cap; a cylinder, affording a carburetant-confining receptacle, fitting closely at its top in said extension and resting at its lower end on the bottom of said tank, said cylinder being constructed for the inlet of the carburetant at its lower part and forthe outlet of gas at its upper part, an air pipe extending down through said cap and cylinder and having an open lower end, an air distributor arranged above'the lower end of said pipe and a plurality of wire mesh baflles in said cylinder above said air distributor;

2. A carbureting apparatus comprising a storage tank provided with'a carburetant-confining receptacle arranged within said tank and conand let openings and having at its upper part-gas outlets opening into the chamber of saidtank, the chamber of said confiningreceptaclecommunieating with the chamber of said tank through said inlet openings, said gas outlets being above the level of the carburetant in said tank and the latter having a gas outlet at its top, an air pipe extending down through said confining receptacle and having an open end to dischargefcompressed air into the lower part of said confining receptacle, and a plurality of foraminous-bafiles arranged one above the other in said receptacle and above the discharge end of said airpipe. 3. A carbureting apparatus comprising a storage tank provided with a central receptacle affording a carburetant-confining chamber, said receptacle being arranged within said tank and havingat its lower] part one or more openings for the admission of a carburetant thereto from the chamber of said tank, said receptacle having at its upper part one or more openings'for the outlet of gas into saidtank, a gas outlet at the top of said tank, an air pipe extending" down through said confining receptacle and having an open lower end to discharge compressed air into the lower part of said confining receptacle, and an air distributor arranged above the discharge end of said air pipe, and a-plurality of foraminous baflles in said confining receptacle, sai'd' bafiles being spaced one above the other above said air distributor. I i ROSWELL T; I-IAPGOOD. 

